Open
by beautifool
Summary: a can opener and a question jayne isn't ready to answer. one shot. comments appreciated!


Jayne opened the cabinet and stared inside like somethin' good would pop out. There were a couple of cans of somethin' called "Meat Product" that had a picture of a real happy lookin' kid on it. Kinda unsettlin' ta have non-specific "Meat Product" with a kid on it. Made a body wonder what kind of meat the product was.

Jayne pushed the cans aside. Olives. Dehydrated tofu. Soup paste. Some of those funny lookin' purple things the doc liked. There was a can in the back with no label. Jayne took it out an' shook it.

"I thought we'd used all these up."

"That one was hiding."

Jayne whipped around, nearly jumpin' clean out of his skin. "Tai-kong suo-yo duh shing-chiouh doh sai-jin wuh duh pee-goo what the gorram hell are you doin' sneakin' up on a body like that!" River was sitting at the table, looking at him like nothin' had happened. "I coulda' shot you! 'Er somethin'!"

He realized that he was holdin' the can up like it was gonna protect him an' let his hand drop. River just looked back at 'im for a bit, then turned back ta look at the table. She was drawin' somethin' on a scrap of paper, like she'd been there all along.

Jayne's heart started slowin' back down. He looked down at the can in his hand an shook it again. "You know what's in here?"

"That's the fun of it." River didn't bother to look up.

Jayne waited fer her ta say somethin' more. She didn't. "Does that mean you do or you don't?"

She drew a long, sweeping line and tipped her head to the side.

He waved the can. "Ain'cha supposed ta be able to read minds er somethin'?"

She turned to look at him real slow an' gave him the kinda look she usually reserved for the doc's stupid questions. "That's a can."

Jayne looked at the can again.

River sighed an' stood up, lettin' the legs of her chair scrape against the floor. She walked over to Jayne an' took the can out of his hand an' shook it, then put it back in his hand. "Peaches." She turned around and sat back down, pullin' her chair up to the table.

Jayne looked back down at the can. "Shiny."

He turned for the drawers, rootin' through fer somethin' ta open the can with. They didn't really keep knives around all that much anymore, on account've River's slashin' phase. All he could find was a tiny little thing he'd seen Inara use before. He stared at it, tryin' ta figure out how it went on the can.

"What were you going to use it for?"

Jayne looked over his shoulder. She was lookin' at him. "The can?"

"The money."

What was she… "What money?"

"Ariel."

Jayne's hand slipped off the little can doohickey. It popped off an' fell on the floor with a clatter.

He cleared his throat.

She tipped her head to the side an' just looked at 'im.

He cleared his throat again an' bent ta pick up the can opener. What kinda question was that? He shrugged, lookin' at the can opener so as ta not have ta look at her. "I dunno."

He glanced up. She was still lookin' at him. He wasn't gonna get away with I dunno. Guess it was right. Guess it was right fer her ta want ta know how much she was worth ta him.

"I'd've given twenty percent ta my Ma, like I always do. That woulda been enough for her ta maybe fix up the house. Buy a few new cows er somthin'. An' with mine…" He shrugged. "I dunno." He swallowed hard. "Maybe I'd've bought… maybe a boat 'er somethin'. Somethin' ta call mine. Hell, maybe I'd've bought this one." He glanced up at her again. She was still lookin' at him.

He turned back to the counter where the can was sittin'. He could feel her eyes on his back. His fingers were too big for the gorram can opener an' his hands weren't workin' right. "Didn't really have time ta think about it. Didn't… It all happened kinda fast."

The doohickey popped off the can again. "I wasn't thinkin' right. I got stupid."

"You have it backwards."

"I know. I shoulda thought it through before I… I shouldn't've…"

She reached over his arm. He hadn't even heard her walk toward him.

She slipped her hand under his and took the can opener. She turned it over and fit it onto the can. She turned the twisty thing a few times and the top of the can came off like nothin'.

She turned. Walked away. Jayne heard her pick up her drawing as she walked by the table. He stared down at the can. The lid was sinking down into the juice. It was peaches.


End file.
